Drron takes on the DPRT aka he's off to Tassie again.

[drron]

Sunday came and I was expecting to have to stay put and recuperate.I had planned another long walk.
Fortunately the pain in my chest was a fair bit better but not really enough to go out in the bush by myself so i decided to go for a drive.Now I was very interested in the whale strandings at Macquarie Harbour.But more than that I thought it possible that an old friend i have not seen for a long time might be there as he was for a time in charge of the Tamanian National Parks.And when I say old friend we started Kindergarten together and kept working together in various conservation groups until 1974 when I left for the Hunter Valley and he left for Tasmania.

So a drive to Strahan it was.I went via Burnie and A10.I stopped to fill up in Burnie as I felt I didn't have enough to get there and back and i have experienced trying to get petrol on the West coast on a Sunday before.Not easy.Interesting that the Woollies petrol in Burnie gets you EDR points but not in Devonport-though they do give you the 6 cents a litre off by just showing your EDR card.On the road south of Burnie.
.

Once again it was a cold day but I didn't expect what I found near the Junction off A10 with the road that leads to Cradle Mountain and Sheffield.
..

..

..

Later on when passing Mt.Murchison on the run into Queenstown I went through a snow storm.Just gotta love Spring in Tasmania.

 

[drron]

Lovely azalea in Tullah.
.

On the run into Queenstown-Lake Plimsoll and the approaching snow storm.
.

First view of Queenstown.much more vegetation than the early 80s when we stayed here.
.

Now the BOM told me the real feel that day was 0.1C.Probably because the wind was coming from this mountain.
..

Quite a few buildings have definitely seen better days.
..

 

[drron]

Waratahs do very well in Tasmania and these were great examples.
..

.

And a building that relates to the past.
.

As was common in mining towns the Unions had friendly societies which paid for members medical expenses but with doctors that kept to the Union table of fees.It seemed to work very well.The Friendly Society is still going but not now Union controlled directly.
More buildings.
..

..

..

 

[RooFlyer]

You may not recognise the guy on the right in the photo-mural above. Its former Labor Premier Eric Reece, or 'Electric Eric', a west-coast hero. He led the development of the hydro-electric schemes in western Tasmania as a means to get cheap power in turn to attract industry to Tasmania - and it worked.

The 'Hydro' worked off a long term plan. I remember as a student geo in the late '70s I spent a few days with a 'Hydro' guy when I needed access up some of their roads. I remarked as we drove along the highway how so many of the wooden bridges across rivers were very old and rickety. "Not much point in replacing them", he said, "as this valley (and this one, and this one ...) will be flooded in 10 years or so .... " Driving the road in the 1990s, you could see the guy was right .

 

[Stealthflyer]

@drron are you going to visit the tulip farm? I’m hoping to finally make it to the north west within the next month, particularly as the crowds are likely to be thinner this year.
'New Zealand a sleeping giant': Tasmanian tourism operators excited at potential Kiwi travel bubble

 

[drron]

They are reporting that the tulips will be at their peak over the next 2 weekends so I am planning to visit this weekend.I know the boss so will ask how long they are going to be open.

 

[drron]

The main street of Queenstown.
..

I then went over to the Wilderness railway station.
..

.

The Railway is operating on 3 days a week but only half way.the line from Regatta Point,Strahan is closed for repairs.I asked if business was slow-no they are booked out for all of October.
Across the road from the Station.
..

The last building is an Art Gallery.Some interesting stuff,some expensive but they only took cash.
More buildings.
..

.

 

[drron]

..

..

.

The old mine workings and houses.
..

Then off to Strahan.Views on the way.
..

.

 

[drron]

So on to Strahan.Fortunately very few showers in the time I spent there.
..

..

..

..

 

[drron]

Now I had looked at having lunch in Strahan and decided to look at a hotel and a restaurant both of whom on their websites that they would be open for lunch on their websites.neither were open so not a great choice.As I was down at the waterfront I went to Banjo's bakery.I had a scallop pie,vanilla slice and a coffee.I wasn't very impressed by the scallop pie I had at the Banjo's in Launceston but this one was a lot better.As advertised 6 scallops which were larger than is usual in a pie.Not a classical scallop pie with all the veggies but not bad.
..

.

 

[OZDUCK]

So on to Strahan.Fortunately very few showers in the time I spent there.
View attachment 229106.View attachment 229107.

View attachment 229108.View attachment 229109.

View attachment 229110.View attachment 229111.

View attachment 229112.View attachment 229113.

Good to see another historic Customs House - none of this Border Force nonsense.

 

[SuePa]

I didn't make it to the west coast. We got caught in an unexpected snow storm and slipped off the road. I'm even more disappointed now, having seen your photos.

 

[drron]

Why I decided to visit Strahan was because of the whale strandings.As well I hoped I might meet up with a very old friend-we met at age 5.He was the head of Tasmania's National Parks service for a few years but has been retired for a little over 10 years.When the NP's head he had employed some indigenous rangers to advise on fuel reduction burns.They lost their jobs after he retired but over a year ago other indigenous rangers have been appointed for the same reasons.

I met one ranger who knew my friend but he hadn't come to Strahan.We had a good chat though-they were just finishing lunch.They were able to get over 200 whale carcasses out to sea.When seeing the size of the whales that was a big job.

I couldn't get to Macquarie Heads where the majority of the strandings took place.but you could still see some whales further in to the harbour.
..

..

.

Now time to head back to Latrobe but going back via Zeehan and Sheffield.A lot of the weed Scotch Broom lining the road.
..

 

[drron]

Zeehan is an old mining town.In 1900 it was Tasmania's third largest town.Some fine buildings.
..

..

.

And the Gaiety theatre which was Zeehan's Opera House.Enrico Caruso,Dame Nellie Melba and Lola Montez all performed here.
.

 

[drron]

More of Zeehan.
..

..

.

And more evidence of old mining ventures just south of Roseberry.
.

 

[RooFlyer]

I love Zeehan. I had 2 stints there, first as a student and then (briefly) as a mine manger. My gt grandfather is buried at the Pioneers cemetery there.

Did you go inside the old metallurgy school, now mining museum? Great place; might have taken too much of your time.

That aerial rope way brought ore from Williamsford, up in the mountains south of Rosebery down to the Rosebery processing plant (I suspect you knew this ). There is now a significant collection of rare sthn hemisphere conifers at Williamsford.

 

[drron]

Going back to Latrobe I went via Sheffield rather than Burnie.A bit after you leave A10 there is a Cradle Mountain lookout,But the weather was coming from the direction of Cradle Mountain.So first South west towards Zeehan.
.

To the Northwest it looks a little cold.
..

And to the East.
..

And South east.
..

And south.
..

My phone told me the BOM was saying the real feel here was -0.1C.it felt like it.

 

[drron]

I called in at the hospital to get my hand dressed.In the tree I parked under were several rosellas.
..

.

 

[drron]

Week 4 was mainly work.On call 3 of the 5 days.lots of admissions.The other 2 days were cold and wet.The forecast for the weekend was warmer and wet.But the rain was forecast to start at 1300 so I decided to drive over to Table Cape to see the tulips in the morning.They open there at 0900 and I rolled in at 0905.Mostly rotary members there who were collecting entry fees,having a sausage sizzle and on parking duties.Although Wynyard was one of the warmest spots in Tassie today the wind was on the fiece side on top of Table Cape.I got to know the owner as I worked with 2 of his cousins in the Hunter Valley.

Today was good for tulip viewing mainly because far less crowding.So here we gnly a small part of the farm is used for the current years Tulip crop.They also grow other bulbs-Iris,hyacinthsdaffodils and now dahlias.Some of the land is resting,some has green crops.
..

Not all last season tulip bulbs were dug up.
.

So to the tulips.
..

..

..

.

 

[drron]

@Stealthflyer I asked how long the tulips will go this year.Next weekend should be the peak,still good 17/18th and open on 24/25th at this stage though if weather warms up maybe not.They don't plan to open on the 31/1st november weekend.Said they have had a lot of calls from interstate about that weekend as the first most will be able to come to Tassie.

So back to the tulips.
..

..

..

..

..